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Aladdin (2019 film)
| screenplay = | based on = * and was added to the One Thousand and One Nights by Antoine Galland, appearing in his French translation Les mille et une nuits. }} }} | starring = | music = Alan Menken | cinematography = Alan Stewart | editing = James Herbert | studio = | distributor = Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | released = | runtime = 128 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $183 million | gross = }} Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote the screenplay with John August, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name, which itself is based on the eponymous tale from One Thousand and One Nights. The film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, and Numan Acar, as well as the voices of Alan Tudyk and Frank Welker. The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting Genie, and battles the wicked Jafar. In October 2016, Disney announced Ritchie would direct a live-action Aladdin remake. Smith was the first member of the cast to join, signing on to portray Genie in July 2017, and Massoud and Scott were confirmed for the two lead roles later that month. Principal photography began that September at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, also filming in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, and lasted until January 2018. Additional filming and pick-ups took place in August 2018. Aladdin was theatrically released in the United States on May 24, 2019. It has grossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2019, and the 34th highest-grossing film of all-time. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Smith, Massoud and Scott, the costumes and the musical score, but criticized Ritchie's direction and the CGI effects. Critics were also divided on the deviations from the original animated film, such as Kenzari's casting and characterization of Jafar. Plot Aladdin, a kind-hearted street urchin living in the Arabian city of Agrabah along with his pet monkey Abu, rescues and befriends Princess Jasmine, who has snuck out of the palace to explore, tired of her sheltered life. Meanwhile, the grand vizier, Jafar, schemes to overthrow Jasmine's father as the Sultan. He, along with his pet parrot sidekick Iago, seeks a magic lamp hidden in the Cave of Wonders that will grant him three wishes. He has been unable to retrieve the lamp himself because only “the diamond in the rough“ is allowed to enter the cave; anyone else will be devoured and killed by the cave itself. Jafar discovers Aladdin is the diamond in the rough and when Aladdin sneaks back into the royal palace to talk to Jasmine, he is captured and persuaded by Jafar's deal to help him retrieve the lamp: since only Aladdin can enter the cave alive, he will retrieve the lamp for Jafar and Jafar will make Aladdin rich enough to impress Jasmine. Jafar warns Aladdin not to take anything but the lamp, even though he will be very tempted to. Inside the cave, Aladdin finds a magic carpet and obtains the lamp. Abu accidentally causes the cave to collapse after he picks up a ruby, as the cave thinks he is stealing. He gives it to Jafar as he hangs perilously from the exit of the cave in exchange for his help up. Jafar double crosses him however, and throws him and Abu back into the cave, though Abu steals the lamp back. The magic carpet also catches Aladdin and saves him from falling to his death. Trapped in the cave, Aladdin rubs the lamp, unwittingly summoning an omnipotent Genie, who lives inside it. Genie explains that he has the power to grant Aladdin three wishes, with the exceptions of murder, romance, resurrection of the dead, and more wishes. Aladdin tricks Genie into freeing them from the cave without using a wish. After they get out of the cave, Genie advises Aladdin that the deal is in the detail, meaning he should be very specific with wording his wishes; the vaguer they are, the more chance they can backfire. Aladdin uses his first official wish to become a prince to impress Jasmine, and promises to use his third wish to free Genie from servitude and turn him human. Aladdin enters Agrabah as Prince Ali of Ababwa, arriving in an extravagant spectacle—including Abu, whom Genie has transformed into an elephant. However, Jasmine is unimpressed by his first presentation, including an assortment of gifts and gems. The two later bond when he takes her on a ride on the magic carpet to show her the world she wants to see while Genie goes out with Jasmine's handmaiden Dalia. When Jasmine tricks Aladdin into revealing his true identity, he appears to convince her that he is actually a prince and only dressed like a peasant to meet the citizens of Agrabah beforehand. However, it is hinted later during Jasmine's conversation with Dalia, that she only chose to believe him because she wanted to. Jafar discovers Aladdin's identity and to test his theory, throws Aladdin into the sea, saying if he lives, it will be because he found the lamp and the Genie saved him. If he dies, he really is a prince and doesn't have the lamp. Abu and the carpet arrive with the lamp and Aladdin rubs it just before losing consciousness. He awakens though, having been saved by Genie, at the cost of his second wish. They talk to Jasmine, who is also suspicious of Jafar, and then expose Jafar, who is arrested and imprisoned in the dungeon. The Sultan offers Aladdin the position as heir to the throne. Fearing he will lose Jasmine if the truth is revealed, Aladdin needs Genie with him now and refuses to free him, much to Genie's disappointment. Iago snatches one of the guards’ keys and he frees Jafar. Jafar stealthily steals the lamp from Aladdin and becomes Genie's new master. He uses his first two wishes to become Sultan and then, when the guards refuse to acknowledge the change at Jasmine's request, to become the world's most powerful sorcerer, imprisoning the guards and Jasmine's pet tiger Rajah. He then exposes Aladdin's identity to Jasmine and exiles him and Abu to a frozen wasteland on the other side of the Earth. He threatens to kill the Sultan and Dalia unless Jasmine agrees to marry him. At the wedding ceremony, Aladdin and Abu return, having been rescued by the magic carpet and Jasmine steals back the lamp. Furious, Jafar transforms Iago into a roc to give chase. Iago overpowers them and steals the lamp back, destroying the magic carpet in the process. Aladdin stalls by taunting Jafar for being second and less powerful than the Genie, thereby tricking him into using his last wish to become the most powerful being in the universe. Due to the vagueness of the wish, Genie is able to use it to turn Jafar into a genie; chained to the lamp without a master, Jafar gets trapped inside, dragging Iago inside with him. Genie throws Jafar's lamp to the Cave of Wonders and repairs the magic carpet. Aladdin keeps his promise, using his last wish to free Genie and allow him to live as a human. The Sultan declares that Jasmine will be the next ruler and tells her that Aladdin is a good person, outlines how worthy he is and tells her as Sultan, she can overturn the law that requires her to marry a prince. Jasmine follows Aladdin to the outside of the palace where she "orders him" to come and face the Sultan and return what he stole, which is a part of her hairpiece. She and Aladdin then share a passionate kiss. Genie marries Dalia and leaves to explore the world and start a family with her. Aladdin and Jasmine get married and start a new life as well. Cast * Will Smith as Genie / Mariner: A comedically eccentric and kindly jinn who has the power to grant three wishes to whoever possesses his magic lamp. Smith said that he was "terrified" while playing the character, but that "he found a lane that pays homage" to Robin Williams' performance in the original animated film, while still making the role "his own thing." Smith described the character as "both a trickster and a mentor," who tries "to guide Aladdin to the truth of the greatness that's already within him." Smith physically portrays the character when he is in the guise of a human, while his giant blue genie form is CGI, portrayed through motion-capture performance. * Mena Massoud as Aladdin: An impoverished Agrabah thief and "street rat" who is smitten with the Sultan's daughter. With the Genie's help, he masquerades as Prince Ali Ababwa. Massoud said that Aladdin "sees a future for himself that's greater than what's been set out for him at the present moment. He doesn't know exactly what it is or how he's going to get there, but he knows it is out there," and felt the character "is very selfless and usually does things for other people, but as he falls in love he loses himself a little bit and starts to become someone that he's not. But he's a good person with good intentions and has good people surrounding him who lead him back to where he's supposed to be." * Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine: The Sultan's daughter and the feisty princess of Agrabah who wants to have a say in how she lives her life. Scott said that the character "will be strong and have fun, but also get it wrong and be emotional. She's a multidimensional woman, and she does not have to just be one thing. So in this movie, you see her go on such a roller coaster, as opposed to her one goal being to escape the loneliness of royalty and find a companion." She further stated that Jasmine will try to find "the courage to speak out for her people," and said that "Jasmine wants to know what goes on in her kingdom and reconcile the distance that has been created, and Aladdin gives her the courage to do just that." * Marwan Kenzari as Jafar: A nefarious and deceptive sorcerer, the Grand vizier of Agrabah, and the Sultan's chief advisor. Frustrated with the Sultan's ways of ruling, he devises a plot to overthrow him as the ruler of Agrabah by acquiring the Genie's lamp. Jafar's backstory is explored in the film, which producer Jonathan Eirich felt would make the audience "understand why he's so bad," as "that's what makes him such a good villain." * Navid Negahban as The Sultan: The wise and noble ruler of Agrabah who is eager to find a capable husband for his daughter Jasmine. * Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders: A suitor and potential husband for Jasmine from the kingdom of Skånland. * Nasim Pedrad as Dalia: Jasmine's loyal handmaiden and confidante. Pedrad said that Dalia "has been by Jasmine's side for years and really looks out for her." * Numan Acar as Hakim: The head of the palace guards who is loyal to the Sultan of Agrabah, as his father worked for the Sultan as a palace servant. * Nina Wadia as Zulla: Zulla is a market trader. Wadia was especially pleased to accept the last minute casting call as they needed extra footage after filming had wrapped.... Voices * Alan Tudyk as Iago: Jafar's sardonic and intelligent scarlet macaw companion. The film marks the first time that Gilbert Gottfried has not voiced the character. * Frank Welker reprises his three roles from the original film: :* Abu: Aladdin's kleptomaniac but loyal pet Tufted capuchin with a falsetto voice. :* Rajah: Jasmine's protective pet Bengal tiger and best friend, who communicates through growling, roaring, and grunting. :* Cave of Wonders: A sand guardian that resembles the giant head of a lion (in contrast with being a tiger in the original), who has been tasked to protect the magic lamp from intruders and give it to those who are worthy like a "diamond in the rough." Production Development and casting On October 10, 2016, it was announced that Guy Ritchie would direct a live-action Aladdin film for Walt Disney Pictures, with John August penning the screenplay and Dan Lin attached as producer. The studio said that the film would be "an ambitious and nontraditional" take on the tale of Aladdin that would keep the musical elements of the original film. On the non-traditional aspect, the studio had originally planned for the film to be told in a nonlinear format. In February 2017, Lin said that they were looking for a diverse cast and that they would not try "to make Prince of Persia." A worldwide casting call for the lead roles of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine commenced in March 2017, with principal production set to take place in the UK from July 2017 until January 2018. On April 19, 2017, it was reported that either Gabriel Iglesias or Will Smith were in talks to play Genie, for which the latter was confirmed in July. In May 2017, Jade Thirlwall was in talks for the part of Princess Jasmine. On July 11, 2017, it was announced that principal production on Aladdin had been pushed back by a month, to August 2017, due to struggles in finding the right actor to portray the titular role. Over 2,000 actors and actresses had auditioned for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine, but finding a male lead of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent in his 20s, who could act and sing, had proven difficult for the producers. Naomi Scott and Tara Sutaria were the final two actresses in the running for the role of Jasmine, but neither could be cast until a chemistry test was done with whomever would be cast as Aladdin. The studio was initially interested in Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed for Aladdin, but later decided to cast a relative newcomer. Achraf Koutet, Mena Massoud and George Kosturos were among the actors being tested for the role. Two musical film veterans, Marc Platt and Chris Montan, were consulted before a final decision was made. At the 2017 D23 Expo, on July 15, it was announced that Massoud would star as Aladdin and Scott as Jasmine, ending the four month long open casting call. On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Disney had hired Vanessa Taylor to polish the original screenplay by August, specifically some "character work" and what is called "script doctoring." Meanwhile, Richie and the studio focused on casting the other main roles with filming slated to start in August in London. In August, Marwan Kenzari joined the cast as Jafar, with Nasim Pedrad cast in a newly created role as "a hand maid and friend of Jasmine" who serves as a "comic relief." Numan Acar was set to play Hakim. The following month, Billy Magnussen joined the cast in a newly created role as Prince Anders, alongside Navid Negahban as the Sultan. The decision of casting Magnussen as a new white character, original to the film, drew criticism from fans and commentators. They deemed it "unnecessary" and "offensive," accusing the film of whitewashing, and pointing out the irony regarding the worldwide search for actors and actresses to play the leads in connection to the controversy. In November 2017, Robby Haynes was cast as Razoul, while Frank Welker was announced to reprise his role as Abu the monkey. The decision to hire Scott, the daughter of an English father and a Gujarati Ugandan-Indian mother, to play the lead of Princess Jasmine, also drew criticism, as well as accusations of colorism, as some commentators expected the role to go to an actress of Arab or Middle Eastern origin. In December 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, Disney's Vice President of Multicultural Engagement, said the decision to cast Scott as Jasmine reflected the mixing or association of different cultures in the broad region that consists of the Middle East, South Asia and China by extension - all of which make up the Silk Road. She stated that Agrabah is intended to be the center of the Silk Road, and added that Jasmine's mother would be from a land that was not Agrabah. When asked about Ritchie's take on the film, Pasek & Paul described it as "very muscular and action-packed."Pasek & Paul talk Guy Ritchie’s ‘muscular, action-packed’ and ‘very cool’ ‘Aladdin’ Metro, December 11, 2017The Aladdin Remake May Have Jasmine's Tiger After All Cinema Blend, November 9, 2017EXCLUSIVE: IAGO TO APPEAR IN THE LIVE-ACTION ALADDIN REMAKE! Disney Film Facts, January 17, 2018 On December 20, 2018, Gilbert Gottfried said that he was not asked to reprise his role as Iago. In March 2019, it was announced that Alan Tudyk would voice the character instead. In May 2019, Welker was announced as reprising his role as Rajah, Jasmine's pet tiger,Aladdin 2019 Cast Compared To The Original Animation Screen Rant, May 23, 2019 and the trailer had confirmed that Welker would reprise his role as the Cave of Wonders as well. Filming Principal photography began on September 6, 2017, at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, and wrapped on January 24, 2018. Part of the film was shot in Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan. The Royal Film Commission provided support to the production during filming and assisted in facilitating logistics. Reshoots took place during August 2018.Guy Ritchie's Aladdin cast called back to London for reshoots - report Star UK, Retrieved October 6, 2018 The film's production sets were designed by Game of Thrones production designer Gemma Jackson. In January 2018, it was reported that white extras were being applied brown make-up during filming in order to "blend in," which caused an outcry and condemnation among fans and critics, branding the practice as "an insult to the whole industry" while accusing the producers of not recruiting people with Middle-Eastern or North African heritage. Disney responded to the controversy saying, "Diversity of our cast and background performers was a requirement and only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control (special effects rigs, stunt performers and handling of animals) were crew made up to blend in." The "Prince Ali" musical sequence features 1,000 dancers and extras. Smith frequently improvises throughout the film. Massoud also revealed that there was a whole scene, where Prince Ali and Genie meets the royal family for the first time, that was improvised by the cast. Post-production The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic and supervised by Michael Mullholland, Daniele Bigi and David Seager, with the help of Hybride Technologies, DNEG, Nzviage and Proof. Music Alan Menken was brought in to compose the score for the film, after doing so for the original animated film. Pasek & Paul wrote a new song with Menken, and several songs from the original film by Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice were featured in the remake. Release Aladdin held its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris, France on May 8, 2019. It was released in 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on May 24, 2019, replacing the original release date set for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film was originally going to be released on December 20, 2019. But in September 2017, the film was moved up to May 24, 2019. Aladdin s first regional premiere was in Jordan on May 13, 2019, in the presence of Prince Ali bin Hussein and Princess Rym Ali. Marketing Will Smith debuted the first official poster on October 10, 2018. The teaser trailer was released the following day. In December 2018, Entertainment Weekly offered a first official look at the cast in costume on the cover of their issue for the most anticipated films of 2019. On February 10, 2019, Disney debuted a special sneak peek of the film during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, which was met with largely negative feedback from audiences, primarily due to the quality of the CGI Genie in his blue design, created via motion capture effects. The negative reception sparked a large amount of memes and Photoshop edits mocking Will Smith's appearance in the sneak peek, several of which compared it with Tobias Fünke (from Arrested Development) painted in blue in an attempt to join the Blue Man Group. On March 12, 2019, Disney debuted a second trailer on Good Morning America. The trailer had a much more positive reception than the previous one, as it featured several songs from the original film and more of Smith not entirely in motion-capture. His CGI scenes received better notices, as well. Home media Aladdin was released in Digital HD for download and streaming on August 27, 2019, and was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 10. The film will be available during the first year of launch on Disney+. Reception Box office Aladdin grossed $355.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $695.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.051 billion, against a production budget of $183 million. The film crossed the $1 billion mark on July 26, 2019, becoming the 41st film to ever reach the milestone. In the United States and Canada, Aladdin was released alongside Booksmart and Brightburn, and was projected to gross around $80 million from 4,476 theaters over its four-day opening weekend over Memorial Day. While Disney was projecting a $75–85 million debut, some independent trackers had the film opening to as low as $65 million or as high as $100 million. The film made $31 million on its first day, including $7 million from Thursday night previews, the second-best total of the Disney live action remakes. Opening day audiences were 59% female and 41% male, and ethnically 42% Caucasian, 27% Hispanic, 15% African American and 11% Asian. The film ended up overperforming, grossing $91.5 million in its three-day opening weekend, and over four days during the extended Memorial Day frame. It was the third biggest opening of 2019 at the time (behind Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel), and the fifth-highest Memorial Day launch ever, as well as the best debut of Ritchie's career and second best of Smith's. The film then grossed on its fifth day, the biggest post-Memorial Day Tuesday ever. In its second weekend, the film made $42.3 million, finishing second, behind newcomer Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and then made $24.7 million in its third weekend, finishing third. It retained the third-place position at the box office during its fourth and fifth weekends with $17.3 million and $13.2 million, respectively. Worldwide, the film was expected to open to an additional $100–120 million, including $10–20 million in China. It went on to gross $123.2 million from foreign territories in its three-day opening weekend, for an overall global debut of $214.7 million. It was the number-one film in every Latin American and Asian territory where it was released. Its biggest international openings were in China ($18.7 million), Mexico ( ), the United Kingdom ($8.4 million), Italy ($6.6 million), and South Korea ( ). It also won the second best opening of 2019 in Italy, Spain, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In India, it debuted with , the year's third best opening for a foreign film (behind Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel). By Monday, the film had a global four-day launch of . In its second weekend of international release the film made $78.3 million from 54 countries, remaining number one in 32 of them. In its fourth international weekend, Aladdin remained number one in twenty countries. By the end of June 2019, the film surpassed Independence Day (1996) to become the highest-grossing film of Will Smith's career. , the film's top five international markets are Japan ( ), South Korea ( ), China ( ), the United Kingdom ( ), and Mexico ( ). It topped the UK box office for four weeks, longer than any other film in 2019. In the Middle East, it had the best Ramadan opening ever in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and went on to become the highest-grossing release of all time in the Middle East. In Japan, the film debuted with , the year's highest opening weekend for a foreign film, surpassing Avengers: Endgame. As of September 2019, it is the year's second highest-grossing film in Japan (behind Weathering with You), and one of the top 20 highest-grossing films ever in Japan. In South Korea, it grossed over from over 11.4 million ticket sales as of July 2019, making it the year's third highest-grossing film and second highest-grossing foreign film in South Korea, as well as the third highest-grossing foreign film ever in South Korea and the highest grossing Disney film ever (not including the MCU) in the country. Critical response On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 354 reviews with an average rating of 5.92/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Aladdin retells its classic source material's story with sufficient spectacle and skill, even if it never approaches the dazzling splendor of the animated original." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 90% (with an average 4.5 stars out of 5) and a 70% "definite recommend." Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Smith, Scott, and Massoud's performances and calling it a "shining, shimmering live-action update." Variety s Peter Debruge summarized his review with, "Will Smith steps into Robin Williams's shoes, bringing fresh attitude to the role of the Genie in Guy Ritchie's high-risk, mostly rewarding live-action remake." A Mir Fantastiki review by Yevgeniy Peklo gave the film a score of 8/10, saying it was "probably the best Disney live-action remake up to date." Despite praising the cast, William Bibbiani of TheWrap said of the film, "If you don't think about it very hard (although you probably should), the remake of Aladdin might entertain you. But you'd be a heck of a lot more entertained by watching the original film again. Or by going to a real-life parade. Or by doing some light gardening. Or by doing a crossword puzzle." Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+, lamenting that it did not add anything new to its 1992 animated predecessor; he felt that the film was unable to update the original's questionable Middle Eastern characterizations, but nevertheless praised the performances of Smith and Scott. Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press wrote that "Guy Ritchie... was always an odd choice to helm a big Disney romantic musical and proves utterly the wrong guy here. Aladdin, in his hands, is more like The Mummy than Frozen." Accolades Future Possible sequel On August 12, 2019, producer Lin announced his enthusiasm for a sequel and revealed that Disney is in the early stages of developing a follow-up. The studio also hopes to bring back Ritchie to direct and Smith to reprise his role as The Genie while also telling a story that's "fresh and new". He later stated that if they would make a sequel to Aladdin, it would not be a direct adaptation of the animated films The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves but could borrow elements of them. It was also told that they would look at various sources for the sequel's story. Possible prequel A year before deciding to remake Aladdin, Disney made an announcement in 2015 to make a live-action prequel to the aforementioned film above under the title Genies. The new film was reported to focus on genies and their realm and reveal how Aladdin's genie ended up in the lamp. Writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift were hired to write a script, while Tripp Vinson was to serve as a producer through Vinson Films. No news of the project have been announced as of October 2019. See also * ''Aladdin'' (franchise) * List of Disney live-action remakes of animated films Notes References External links * * Category:2019 3D films Category:2010s adventure films Category:2010s coming-of-age films Category:2010s romantic comedy films Category:2010s romantic fantasy films Category:2010s romantic musical films Category:Aladdin (franchise) Category:American films Category:American buddy films Category:American coming-of-age films Category:American fantasy adventure films Category:American musical fantasy films Category:American nonlinear narrative films Category:American romantic comedy films Category:American romantic fantasy films Category:American romantic musical films Category:Disney film remakes Category:English-language films Category:Film remakes Category:Films about outlaws Category:Films about princesses Category:Films about wish fulfillment Category:Films based on adaptations Category:Films based on fairy tales Category:Films based on multiple works Category:Films based on musicals based on films Category:Films based on One Thousand and One Nights Category:Films directed by Guy Ritchie Category:Films featuring hypnosis Category:Films produced by Dan Lin Category:Films scored by Alan Menken Category:Films set in a fictional Asian country Category:Films set in the Middle East Category:Films shot at Longcross Studios Category:Films shot in Jordan Category:Films shot in London Category:Films shot in Surrey Category:Screenplays by Guy Ritchie Category:Screenplays by John August Category:Genies in film Category:IMAX films Category:Motion capture in film Category:Walt Disney Pictures films